Helping Our Peninsula's Environment

Precautionary Principle

By David Dilworth

The term "Precautionary Principle" is thought to have originated in Germany in the early 1980's. The "Look before you leap" or "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" idea is now embodied in many International Treaties (World Charter for Nature 1982, Rio Declaration) to protect human health and wild biota from unleashed developers, resource extractors and governments (DREGs).

In 1998, an international group of scientists, government officials, lawyers, and labor and grass-roots environmental activists met at Wingspread in Racine, Wisconsin to define and discuss the precautionary principle. After meeting for two days, the group issued the following consensus statement:

Wingspread Statement on the 

'The release and use of toxic substances, the exploitation of resources, and physical alterations of the environment have had substantial unintended consequences affecting human health and the environment. Some of these concerns are high rates of learning deficiencies, asthma, cancer, birth defects and species extinctions, along with global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion and worldwide contamination with toxic substances and nuclear materials."

'We believe existing environmental regulations and other decisions, particularly those based on risk assessment, have failed to protect adequately human health and the environment --the larger system of which humans are but a part."

'We believe there is compelling evidence that damage to humans and the worldwide environment is of such magnitude and seriousness that new principles for conducting human activities are necessary."

'While we realize that human activities may involve hazards, people must proceed more carefully than has been the case in recent history. Corporations, government entities, organizations, communities, scientists and other individuals must adopt a precautionary approach to all human endeavors."

"Therefore, it is necessary to implement the Precautionary Principle: 

'The process of applying the Precautionary Principle must be open, informed, and democratic and must include potentially affected parties. It must also involve an examination of the full range of alternatives, including no action."

Some people argue the Precautionary Principle does not actually protect against irreversible or long term impacts.
The Emergency Edict covers these circumstances.

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This Page Last Updated July 8, 2003